Fair Game Inc (2010) (14 page)

oSure,o she said forcing a smile. None of this was JenniferAEs fault. The woman had been through enough already. oFine.o

oGood.o Jennifer jumped lightly to her feet. Instead of the muted browns sheAEd been wearing at their last meeting, this time she wore leather boots that reached past her knees, a black mini and a flaming red blouse. She looked wonderful.

Ah, confidence. Amber banished her regret. Seeing Jennifer restored lifted her spirit.

oIAEll be sure to give you a call if I ever need you again,o she said brightly, reaching for the door handle.

oFeel free to pass my card around to any of your friends.o Word of mouth and repeat business kept the bailiff from the door.

Amber sank back into her chair. oThe best laid plans....o

Wasted weeks, wasted money. Where had this streak of bad luck come from? Recent events between Amber and Grayson indicated her luck was about to change. For the first time Amber looked forward to her nightly stint at Grayson and Charles.

After their fight in the dance club, and their passionate reconciliation later at her apartment, her love life looked a good deal brighter. TheyAEd lingered over brunch at her apartment courtesy of Grayson. Gourmet didnAEt come close to describing his cooking. The taste of feather-light chocolate crepes lingered on her tongue. Even if her kitchen looked like a bomb hit it. His scent lingered on her bed sheets. An afternoon walk through the last yellow leaves of late fall had done wonders to lift the feeling of doom lingering over the past few weeks.

And then there was GraysonAEs offer of contract work. An attractive offer, more attractive considering what had happened since Saturday night. A more sinister thought occurred to her. Where exactly was Grayson getting the money to hire her, when the accounts sheAEd seen on that first night indicated Barlow & Charles rode a fine line between solvency and bankruptcy court?

Amber shook off the seductive call of paranoia. Grayson surely knew what he was doing. She glanced at the clock on her desk. Half an hour left. And a million niggly administrative tasks to be accomplished. She couldnAEt stop the smile breaking across her face. Desk work could wait until tomorrow. Tonight sheAEd tell Grayson sheAEd take him up on his offer of contract work. That would solve the money crunch. The bottom line would be in the black. And she would have more time with Grayson. No time like the present. SheAEd show up early and get started on that contract work tonight.

****

Grayson was standing at NicoleAEs desk juggling three ringing telephone lines as Amber entered. He winked at her, letting her know heAEd be with her as soon as he got things under control.

Finally, exasperated, he put all lines on hold. Grasping her by the waist, he dipped her low and kissed her thoroughly. oYouAEre early.o

oNice to see you, too.o

oI didnAEt say I was dissatisfied with the prospect.o

oGood. Because youAEre about to get a whole lot more of my company.o

oTo what do I owe this wondrous change in fate?o

Amber felt a pang of foolishness and dismissed it, hoping he hadnAEt forgotten that heAEd asked her work for her. oIAEve decided to take you up on your offer of contract work.o

His cheeks dimpled as he smiled. He hadnAEt forgotten, she thought with relief.

oThatAEs great news. I donAEt know what I would have done if youAEd said no.o

oYouAEd have suffered terribly.o

oIAEve been suffering since we parted yesterday. This office is empty without you, Amber.o

oYou came in on Sunday night?o

oHad to, more developments in the Tirelli case.o

He shot a guilty glance at the blinking lines on NicoleAEs phone. oLet me get rid of these calls and then weAEll talk.o He looked back at her as if he was truly torn, then motioned to the lights that blinked like a demented traffic light. oI need the notes in my office. Do you think you could--?o

oGo on,o she said, reaching for the phone. oBarlow & Charles.o He was still gazing at her wistfully. She waved him off down the hall. oJust a moment, IAEll put you through.o

Half an hour later, the last red light on GraysonAEs line winked out. Amber crept down the hall. Sprawled in his chair, his shirt sleeves stuffed over his elbows again, he looked positively beat.

oBad day?o

oIt never ends,o he said tiredly. oBut it looks like my day is about to get better.o

oTechnically, itAEs evening,o she said, coming around the side of the desk.

He pulled her down into the chair on top of him and ran his hand appreciatively up over one stockinged calf, slithering scandalously higher. oAll the better.o

oGrayson! WeAEre in your office!o

Grayson smothered her protests with his hot demanding mouth. oThatAEs what this office needs, a scandalous romance.o He laughed. oAnd itAEs not going to be Barlow.o

And when she returned his kiss stiffly, he nibbled her lower lip, breathing huskily, oRelax, Amber. WeAEre alone.o

A sharp cough from the doorway brought their heads up in a single motion.

Barlow stood in the doorway. His eyes raked over them, separating them with a single glance. Amber sprang from GraysonAEs lap. Snatching up one of the file folders, on his desk, she tried to slide past Barlow.

oExcuse me.o Earnestly, she wished her voice didnAEt sound so breathless.

Barlow shot her a look of utter disdain. Turning his body, he blocked the exit so she couldnAEt help but brush up against him as she left. From the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of Grayson vainly trying to straighten the wrinkles sheAEd left in his pants.

oIf youAEve finished with your recreational activities,o she heard Barlow growl as she fled down the hall, oI have business to discuss.o

She didnAEt catch GraysonAEs reply, but the door to his office was closed for a very long time. Finally, the door to GraysonAEs office flew open and heavy footsteps thudded along the carpeted hall. Amber looked up just in time to catch the ugly expression he launched in her direction. His departure ruffled the papers on the desk. The door slammed shut, plunging the office into silence. She crept back down the hall.

Grayson sat hunched over the papers on his desk. A green accountantAEs lamp cast an oval of gold light, illuminating his hands and arms, leaving his expression in shadow.

oWhatAEs with Barlow?o

He leaned back in his chair. Shadow darkened his expression. oWho knows,o he said wearily. oBut somethingAEs eating him. HeAEs been acting weird for some time now.o

oDidnAEt seem too happy about the improvement in your love life.o

oNo.o Even in the shadows, she could see the gleam of his smile. oBut I am.o He held out his hand to her, and she came closer. oIs he gone?o

oYou mean you didnAEt hear the hurricane that blew through the office?o Amber sat on the corner of his desk. Should she share the nagging worry that had haunted her since she came to Barlow & Charles? oGrayson thereAEs something IAEve been meaning to tell you...o

oNot you too!o He held up a hand for mercy. oEveryone has something they want to tell me today. Grayson glanced suspiciously at the phone as if he expected it to ring at any second with more bad news. oNext RogerAEs going to call to tell me why heAEs breaking up with....o He looked up bashfully, realizing just what heAEd been about to say. oWhat is it, Amber?o

oThe first night I was here, when there were files all over the office....o Stalling, she knew it. One eyebrow raised, he waited for her to continue. oWell, I found something,o she blurted.

oAnd?o

oThey were in BarlowAEs office. I shouldnAEt have been snooping, but I think you ought to knowa.o

oKnow what!o he said, becoming impatient at her halting confession.

oThere are papers in BarlowAEs filing cabinet that offer the sale of Barlow & Charles to another firm.o

Grayson let go his breath in a rush. Reaching for her hand, he pulled her closer. oAmber, you really have been working too hard.o

oIAEm serious, Grayson.o

oHe canAEt do that. I own half the company.o

oListen to me.o Damn, the man was dense. SheAEd just blurted out something that had troubled her for most of a month and he brushed it off like lint on his suit. oI think thatAEs why BarlowAEs been so antagonistic to me. ThatAEs why he was so mad when he returned and found out a PI had been working in his office. ThereAEs something he desperately doesnAEt want you to know about around here. And I think thatAEs it.o

oAmber--o

oWhy else would he be so angry to see us together? ItAEs after hours. And who cares if we like each other?o

oPerhaps he considers our liaison unprofessional considering how we met.o

oWhy should he care?o

oI donAEt know, Amber. This is crazy.o

oIs it?o she asked quietly. oYou just said heAEd been acting crazy.o

oOkay.o He rose from behind the desk. Putting his arm around her shoulders, he led her down the hall to BarlowAEs office. oLetAEs have a look at those papers.o

The fluorescent light contrasted starkly with the soft shadows in GraysonAEs office. Inside BarlowAEs domain was as obsessively neat as the last time sheAEd seen it.

oThat cabinet right there,o Amber said, pointing to the big filing cabinet behind BarlowAEs desk.

With a resigned sigh, Grayson rounded the desk and gave the handle a tug. It slid open a fraction of an inch, then stopped with a thud.

oLocked.o SheAEd known it would be.

oIAEve got to find that extra key in my office,o Grayson said, as if heAEd been expecting as much.

She dogged his footsteps back down the hall and peered over his shoulder as he slid open his top drawer. Reaching for one of the little compartments for pens and staples, his hand came up empty.

oIt was there last I looked.o He rummaged around in the drawer.

oBarlow took it. IAEd bet on it.o

oAmber--o he said in a tone that betrayed heAEd come to the end of his patience. oThis means nothing. Nicole could have borrowed it.o

oThere arenAEt any keys in my desk.o When had she started thinking of it as her desk, she wondered. But Grayson hadnAEt noticed her slip of the tongue.

oIt still proves nothing. And even if it did, John canAEt merge the company without my say so. WeAEre partners in this firm. He asked me to be his partner.o

She turned, leaning her head against his broad chest. oI know you think IAEm crazy, but I think heAEs behind the nasty little things that have been happening to me.o

oWhat things?o She could sense the tension in him, thought his tone was neutral.

oThe flat tire. The writing on my car. The mouse in the drawer. I think BarlowAEs trying to scare me off, to get rid of me before I find out something he doesnAEt want me to know.o

oNow that is ludicrous.o

oIt was a new tire,o she insisted.

oYou could have run over a nail on the highway.o

oWhat about the mouse?o

oOne of the alley cats probably got to it.o

oAnd I suppose one of the cats wrote on my car and I hallucinated the papers I thought I saw.o

GraysonAEs expression gave her the answer. oForget about it, Amber. IAEm a big boy. I can take care of myself. John and I have worked together for several years now. WeAEre not terribly compatible in our personalities or our ages, but weAEve managed to run the firm well, so far.o

oBut youAEll check it out?o

oIAEll check it out,o he said, dipping his head to brush her lips lightly with his.

He was lying, she thought, even as she returned his kiss.

oCome home with me, Amber,o Grayson whispered. oWeAEve had enough excitement for one day.o **** oFor a townhouse close to downtown, weAEve been driving a long time.o oI can usually make it in forty minutes, once the rush hour traffic has cleared.o Amber studied GraysonAEs face under the strobing flash of the streetlights. oItAEs not a townhouse close to downtown, I take it.o oYou said that, not me. I didnAEt want to ruin your carefully thought out profile of me.o oIAEve had to adjust my profile several times,o she said. Truly, there seemed no end to the surprises that added up to Grayson Charles.

Gravel crunched beneath the MercedesAE tires. They turned off the highway onto a long winding road. Amber stared into the shadows, her jaw dropping slowly open as the car rolled to a stop. oThis is it?o

oWelcome to my humble abode.o He was enjoying her astonishment, she could tell.

Humble didnAEt begin to describe the rustic schoolhouse that rose out of the treed property. A line of poplars had been planted to mark the edge of the lot. Most of their leaves lay on the ground now, the bare branches standing like scrawny sentries.

Taking her hand, he led her up the flagstone walk and through the doorway with practiced sureness. oStay there,o he said, moving quietly through the darkened stone building.

A wrought iron chandelier hung over the huge wooden table at one end of the open room. She watched as he lit the white candles one by one, and the room blossomed into golden light. A pair of massive over-stuffed couches framed the fireplace. In an alcove off to one side stood an old fashioned roll-top desk. The laptop computer inside seemed out of place in the stone schoolhouse. Beyond the table she made out the shadow of an old-fashioned wood-burning stove. Dishes, pots and pans sat on open shelves. Above, in the shadows among the rafters, she could just make out a loft bedroom and the bulk of a king-sized bed. On the far side of the large room, two shadowed openings still proclaimed boys and girls in stone lettering above the threshold.